RantCrush Top 5: April 21, 2017

The French presidential election is getting closer and yesterday, the center-left candidate Emmanuel Macron got a call from President Barack Obama. Macron was reportedly the one who sought the call, and it is a stark contrast to the activities of his rival Marine Le Pen, who has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and had meetings in Trump Tower before Trump became president.

Obama’s spokesman said that this was not a formal endorsement, but a conversation about Macron’s campaign and his vision for France and liberal values in Europe. Macron and Obama are both pro-EU, while Le Pen has pushed for a Frexit. Macron seemed excited to talk to the former U.S. president, who is popular in Europe, and posted a video of the conversation on Twitter.

Let’s keep defending our progressive values. Thank you for this discussion @BarackObama. pic.twitter.com/8rhNdHkLo8

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 20, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.